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Ghapt^:* II the Bengal Army Was Most Important for the East India

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Ghapt^:* II organisation The Bengal Army was most Important for the East India Company. In fact, it was even more important than the Europeans. The East India Company was very cautious and careful while selecting the soldiers for the Army, because her power in India depended on the Bengal Army, The present study proposes to see how the Company organised its Army in Bengal, A perusal of the documents shows that the Bengal Presidency Amiy consisted of different branches of which the most important and distinguishiijg part was of the European and N ative description. The Army in Bengal Presidency consisted of different elements, but the distinct element was that of the Europeans and the Natives, Two kinds of troops were found in the European elements * first - Crown's Regiment and second was Company’s European Regiments, Although both belonged to the same nation, race and religion but they were discriminated in receiving the facilities and provisions. The real fact was that discrimination was the main policy for the progress of East India Company’s regime. The Company provided different facilities to the different groups for the same work. The Crdjwn* s Regiments were sent to India only for certain period to serve in India and they were kept strictly as auxiliaries to the troops of the Company, But the Crown’s troops in India enjoyed more facilities by virtue of the 1 customs and traditions of the Army at home. 61 Economically the most exploited section of the East India Company’s Army was that of the Native troops. They were divided as regular, Irregular and Provincial troops. Regular Native troops got more facilities in coirparison to the irregular and Provincial troops. Extension of the territory resulted in the expansion of the Anny. But care was taken to employ additional forces which though efficient, but did not prove to be expensive. They were of two kinds j first it was the Local corps recruited from among the people in the newly acquired territory and they were confined to that area only. Secondly, there were the '’irregulars” in either case with a complement of three or at most four officers selected solely on account of their higher qualifications for a peculiar but every effective service. For regular Native Infantry they had appointed 23 officers. The division of the Bengal Army can be seen in the following chart: Bs; _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________5 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ II T " Crown’s itroops serving in India East India Company’s9 troops Company’s European Native troops troops — j ---------------j ---------------- j---------------- ------------- Infantry Artillery Cavalry Local Corps J I Regular ______ __________ Regiaar Irregular fl I (mostly) (minority) Irregulars Regular (mo s tly (mino rity) 62 The Anry and Its work was the first breakaway of the Company from Its cominerclal origins. Its administrative organisation was the first to come into being - apart fr<Ms the supreme governing body of the Governor-General in Council, At first the public departments at the Presidencies were in charge of the Military as in case of all other business that was not commercial. The increase in the strength and activities of the Army led to the development in its organisation. The first step towards establishing a special Military Department was taken in 1773 at Calcutta with the establishment of Quarter 2 Master General*s Department, An Adjutant General’s Department was added in 1774, but it was abolished in 1775, The Court of Directors wanted that his duties be performed by the senior Aid-de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief, but was revived again in 1779. The Quarter Master General's Department was abolished in 1785 as a measure of retrenchment, but was revived soon 3 thereafter. Besides the above-mentioned departments under the Military Board, another Military department came into existence 4 about 1786, It was divided into two departments - the Militaiy Department of Inspection and the Secret and Military Department, The duties of the departments were more clerical than administrative, although each of them had a secretary as all important matters of policy and administration continued to be discussed and decided in the Governor General's Council. 63 5 In 17P3, the Military Department was abolished. In 1799 a thorough reorganisation of all the departments of the Govern­ ment took place, and the Mllltaiy Department was one of the four deparlanents of the government. Till 1819 the Military 6 Department continued to perform more or less clerical duties. The peculiar position occupied 1:^ the Military Department in the government of the countryvas proved by the fact that while the other departments of the governments ’ha d undergone radical change, the Military Department for long stood unchanged. Lord Dalhousie in 1853 effected a radical change in the constitution of the Department by splitting its work up among new departments such as the Ordnance, the 7 Commissariat and the Military Public Works, Military Board was made responsible for the administra­ tion of the Army which in each Presidency had been formed by the Court of Directors in 1786. But the Court of Directors made it clear that the Military Board did not intend to erect any Military authority in their setti. etnents in any degree Independent of the superior civil, executive government of the country as vested in the Board of Council, But it was pointed out that this Board was Immediately connected with the regularity, economic and the effective strength of the Army, Moreover, the Board could exercise its authority in all respects, Sveiy article of Military which involved expenditure would come under the purview of the Military Boards and shall be subject to revision and control. But the discipline of the Army, the distribution of the troops, the application of the force were exclusively vested with 64 8 the supreme government and the Coramander-ln-Chlef, The Military Board consisted of 1. Commander-in-Ghief, 2. The Senior Officer at the Presidency, 3. Senior Officer of the Artillery, 4. The Chief Engineer, 5. The Adjutant General, 9 6, The Quarter Master General, 7. The Conimlssiary-General 10 with one secretary and two assistant secretaries. The Court had directed that the senior Colonel Commanding a Brigade, shall be considered as the officer next in rank in Bengal to the Coimnander-in-Ghief in India and the second-in- command and shall not be permitted to a higher rank than that 11 of Colonel, The Board exercised control over the Ordnance Department, the Department of Public Works, including roads, bridges and civil and military buildings of every description, the canal and embarkment department, the commissiarate department, 12 the stud and the stationery department. The Military Board was reorganised in 1830 and consisted of the following members viz, the chief engineer, the commandant of Artillery, the Chief Magistrate of Calcutta, or other selected civil officers and two stipendiary Military members. The office establishment was consisted of one 13 secretary, an accountant, and two assistant secretaries. The government ordered in 1855, that all the public departments heretofore under the superintendence of the Military Board having been successively withdrawn therefrom, for the purpose of entrusting those departments, respectively, to the Individual and personal responsibility of one head, the Military Board would cease to exist from and after the 65 14 30th April 1855, Military Areas and Goromanda The Bengal Presidency had its own specified Military area, which was further divided into Military commands when the Indian Army was reorganised in 1796, The Bengal Presidency was to consist of 6 General Officer Commands, four on the 15 Company's establishment and two on the King’s establishment. In 1S13, in the Bengal Presidency the following areas were under the Military commands j Benaras, Kanpur, Dinapur, Meerut, 16 Sagur, and Shrihind, The number of divisional commands was fixed, and they were held by 2 King's officers and 5 Company's officers. There were some more Military Commands lower in status than the divisional commands. For example, in 3S33 Meerut, Calcutta, and Sirhind divisions were commanded by a Major General, whereas Eastern Frontiers, Mewar, Field Force, Rajputana Fi^d Force, Agra, and Mathura, Malwa and Oudfe, Dum Dum, Barrackpore and Rohel Khand and Delhi were under 17 the command of the Brigadiers, 18 There were one or two Colonel's command also. In 1853, the Gwalior divisional command was reduced from that of a Major General to a Brigadier and Kanpur and Oudh divisions were amalgamated, A return of the number of officers in commands of divisions of the Army, subsidiary or field forces and of brigades or stations at each Presidency in 1832 is given below: 20 66 Presidencies No, of Officers No, of officers No, of officer in command of in command of of the second division subsidiary or class of field forces Brigadiers in command of Brigades or stations Bengal 7 3 U Madras 5 4 7 Bombay 3 2 5 There were some cantonments as Meerut, Cawnpore, Barrackpore, Dim Dum Garrison's, Allahabad, Agra, and 21 Buxar (Invalid), After the annexation of Punjab, the Military Area of Bengal Presidency which stretched across the whole of northern India from Calcutta to the Afghan 22 frontiers was organised in seven divisional commands. The following revision in the divisional
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